Are you constantly worried about Rodent Damage to your machinery or equipment? Or is this something you tend to forget about?

Machinery that is parked up in storage and farm buildings create a great new home for rodents. Particularly when temperature drops in Autumn. As machinery and equipment can be parked in storage for a long period of time rodents enjoy the shelter and food sources to nest (and are capable of a rapid increase in population), if not cleaned effectively. As part of rodents natural behaviour they try anything accessible including hydraulic hoses, cables, control panels and even cab fittings. And the problem only starts there. Not only can they damage your machinery which can be very costly, but also your crops as well with urine, droppings and are known to carry parasites. Which can lead into a number of diseases into your food.

Any damage they may cause to your machinery could also lead to production down time. So there are a few things you can do to prevent rodent damage to stored machinery:

• Cleaning your machinery thoroughly before putting away is key
• Dried grass, straw or other plants that might make rodent nesting sites should be removed
• Take any wiring or control boxes off the machine and store them somewhere safe
• Repair holes in the building that give rodents an easy way in
• Place bait boxes around key areas (only apply bait when you notice any rodents, to reduce the risk of poisoning other animals)
• When placing bait the first area to focus on are the wheels

 

 

Sources:

 

Do-you-do-enough-to-prevent-rodent-damage-to-stored-machinery.ashx (bayer.co.uk)

How To Rodent Proof Your Facility With High Speed Doors (ultigroup.co.nz)

How to Prevent Rodent Damage to Your Tractor & Equipment – TractorByNet – Tractor Community & Resource

How to avoid costly claims for rodent damage to machinery - Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)